~ 2174 ~ Journal of Pharmacognosy and Phytochemistry 2019; 8(3): 2174-2176 E-ISSN: 2278-4136 P-ISSN: 2349-8234 JPP 2019; 8(3): 2174-2176 Received: 19-03-2019 Accepted: 21-04-2019 Jawahar S Assistant Professors in Agronomy, Faculty of Agriculture, Annamalai University, Annamalainagar, Tamil Nadu, India K Arivukkarasu Assistant Professors in Agronomy, Faculty of Agriculture, Annamalai University, Annamalainagar, Tamil Nadu, India SR Vinod Kumar Assistant Professors in Agronomy, Faculty of Agriculture, Annamalai University, Annamalainagar, Tamil Nadu, India S Ramesh Assistant Professors in Agronomy, Faculty of Agriculture, Annamalai University, Annamalainagar, Tamil Nadu, India C Kalaiyarasan Assistant Professors in Agronomy, Faculty of Agriculture, Annamalai University, Annamalainagar, Tamil Nadu, India K Suseendran Assistant Professors in Agronomy, Faculty of Agriculture, Annamalai University, Annamalainagar, Tamil Nadu, India Correspondence Jawahar S Assistant Professors in Agronomy, Faculty of Agriculture, Annamalai University, Annamalainagar, Tamil Nadu, India Effect of Ortho silicic acid formulation (Silixol granules) on milling and cooking quality of Rice Jawahar S, K Arivukkarasu, SR Vinod Kumar, S Ramesh, C Kalaiyarasan and K Suseendran Abstract An experiment was conducted at Department of Agronomy, Annamalai University, Annamalai Nagar, Tamil Nadu during June to September, 2014 to study the effect of ortho silicic acid formulation (silixol granules) on milling and cooking quality of rice. The experiment consisted of six treatments viz., Recommended dose of fertilizers (RDF) (T1), T1 + Calcium silicate @ 2 t ha -1 (T2), T1+ 120 kg Si ha -1 through Fly Ash (T3), T1+ Silixol granules @ 12.5 kg ha -1 (T4), T1 + Silixol granules @ 25 kg ha -1 (T5), T1 + Silixol granules @ 37.5 kg ha -1 (T6). The experiment was laid out in randomized block design with four replications. The results of the experiment revealed that application of Silixol granules @ 37.5 kg ha -1 along with RDF recorded higher values for milling and head rice recovery of raw rice. The same treatment registered maximum length and breadth ratio and amylose content in cooked rice over others. This was closely followed by T5 and was on par with T4. Among the traditional sources of silicon, Calcium silicate performed well than Fly Ash. The least milling and cooking quality of rice was observed under recommended dose of fertilizers. Therefore, this study shows that enrichment of silicon in paddy grains through silixol granules enhanced the milling and cooking quality of rice. Keywords: Silixol granules, rice, milling, cooking quality Introduction Agricultural commodities produced on the farm fields have to undergo a series of operations such as harvesting, threshing, winnowing, bagging, transportation, storage, processing and exchange before they reach the consumer, and there are appreciable losses in crop output at all these stages. A recent estimate by the Ministry of Food and Civil Supplies, Government of India, puts the total preventable post-harvest losses of food grains at 10 per cent of the total production or about 20 Mt, which is equivalent to the total food grains produced in Australia annually. Rice is one of the most important stable food crops in the world. In Asia, more than two billion people are getting 60-70 per cent of their energy requirement from rice and its derived products. In India, rice is cultivated round the year in one or the other part of the country, in diverse ecologies spread over 43.39 mha with a production of 104.32 mt with average productivity of 2.40 t ha -1 . In the recent years, with the growth of population, more pressure on the arable land has been made and this in turn, the need for higher productivity of crops was felt in the country. At the same time, large quantity of food grain was reported to be lost due to inefficient milling processes in the country (Komol Singha, 2013) [5] . It has been reported that about 9 per cent of paddy is lost due to use of old and outdated methods of drying and milling. Milling is a crucial step in post-production of rice. The basic objective of a rice milling system is to remove the husk and the bran layers, and produce an edible, white rice kernel that is sufficiently milled and free of impurities. Depending on the requirements of the customer, the rice should have a minimum number of broken kernels. Hence it is imperative to minimize the loss of rice kernels during processing to enhance the yield of milled rice, improve its quality and market value. These unavoidable milling losses can be reduced by enrichments of silicon in rice. Silicon (Si) is the second most abundant element of the earth’s surface and plays a significant role in imparting biotic, abiotic stress resistance and enhancing crop productivity (Aroubandi, 2017) [1, 2] . It is also crucial in preventing or minimizing lodging in cereal crops, a matter of great importance in agricultural productivity. Silicon is the only element known that does not damage plants with excess accumulation. In recent years Si has been regarded as a quasi essential element and increases crop production and enhance soil fertility. It is required for the development of strong leaves, stems and roots. The formation of a thick silicate epidermal cell layer reduces the susceptibility of rice to insect pests (Subramanian and Gopalswamy (1991) [7] .